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They Will Rock You

Summer approaches, and as the days grow longer, a music lover's fancies turn to swaying sing-a-longs, multicolored bracelets, overpriced beer and endless port-a-loo queues. Are you ready to rock?

All across Europe, bucolic rural settings are being reconfigured to host hundreds of thousands of people who will throng to see some of the world's biggest music acts. The locales may vary—from an island in the Danube to a fortress in northern France— but the motif is more or less always the same: Rain or shine, the likes of U2, Coldplay, Beyoncé and The Black Eyed Peas strut across enormous erector-set stages in the evenings, after lesser-known performers have spent all afternoon vying for attention in smaller, tented venues.

Orange stage at Roskilde festival.
Klavs Bo Christensen/Rockphoto

For fans, it's an embarrassment of riches. Where else can you see Linkin Park and PJ Harvey on the same bill? But it's also a logistical challenge. What happens, for instance, when two bands you love are playing simultaneously on opposite ends of the festival ground?

The season kicks off this weekend in Barcelona, where the massive Primavera Sound festival is already under way, and peaks on the first weekend of July with major tribal gatherings in the U.K. (Hop Farm), Denmark (Roskilde), Belgium (Werchter) and France (Main Square Festival).

MAIN SQUARE FESTIVAL

The Vibe: Now only in its eighth year, this festival in Arras was once held on the city's impressive Grande Place but last year moved to a 17th-century citadel on the edge of town; always an impressive lineup.

Big Names: Coldplay, Arcade Fire, The Chemical Brothers, Linkin Park

Don't Miss: Beady Eye (if only to hear Liam Gallagher slag off the French); Warpaint; Rival Sons; Jenny & Johnny; Coldplay trying for the second night in a row to follow PJ Harvey and Portishead

Dilemma: It's late Saturday night and you've had one too many Red Bulls; will you dance it off to Moby or French electro-disco duo The Shoes?

HOP FARM

The Vibe: A blast-from-the-past blowout that proudly touts its stand against corporate sponsorship and branding but not against Dad- or even Granddad Rock. The main-stage lineup is nearly geriatric—10cc? The Human League? Chrissie Hynde? Bryan Ferry?—but younger acts further down the bill make this one interesting.

Missed out on Coachella? These music festivals, from New York City to the Tennessee woods, offer something for everyone.

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